Corruption
by Zadien
Summary: Oneshot. Spoilers for season six though I haven't watched season six: Something's wrong and Riven's left Alfea, but he hasn't left Musa. He never would, after all. [He softened and reached out to tug her plait. "We are one. We're more, we're partners, which is why I trust you with this part of the plan. You stay, you gather all the information you can and you get it to me."]


**I don't own Winx Club**

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**A.N. **Let me just say, I haven't seen season six past the Diaspro episode. I am literally writing this off a screen shot someone posted. It's all made up in my head, and what I imagine could have happened.

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Summary: Riven's left Alfea, but he hasn't left Musa. He never would, after all.

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_Corruption_

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So he'd left. He'd really done it. An hour later and Musa was still sitting on the steps of Alfea staring at the closed gates as students headed into the Dining Hall for their evening meal. The sun began to slip behind the buildings of the dormitories, long shadows slid across the pathways. This had been her home for six years, and yet, it had never seemed so alien to her, so unwelcoming. She should have been rejoicing with her friends, the Trix were gone forever, no more fears of them attacking, no more worries that Darcy would spirit Riven away. Not that it mattered anymore. He was gone. He'd left her.

"Musa, sweetie?"

She shook her head, heat rising up her throat. No, she couldn't talk to Flora right now. That kindness, that need to show empathy, when Flora really couldn't? No, Musa really could not deal with that. She pushed herself up and stalked down the long path to the front gates, feeling all eyes on her, radiating sympathy: poor Musa, ditched by her boyfriend again.

Her shoulders hunched, her hands fisted as if desperately holding on to her emotions. She could feel them all but vibrating through her, a cacophony of noise and chaos. Her inner song was a mess, jarring chords and clashing melodies. She couldn't stand the sounds, her ears to sensitive to everything.

She all but ran out of the gate, ignoring Flora's calls, almost barrelling down Daphne and Thoren as they returned from their quiet, romantic stroll. Daphne reached for her arm, but Musa shrugged her off. She definitely couldn't deal with Daphne right now. Or ever. Ever sounded good.

Her eyes felt like they were burning out of her head, her lungs all but suffocating under the weight of tension in her chest as she ran down the road. She ran and ran, always running away, just like Riven. She stumbled to a halt and pressed a hand to a tree trunk to catch her balance, then let out a rueful laugh. Of course she would end up here. She blew out a breath and continued into the Black Mud Swamp at a more leisurely pace, glancing around for any signs of life. She cast out her senses but nothing large or humanoid bounced back at her — there were two Spear-tongued Toads in a crevice about sixty yards to her left and a few flies lurked by the pond.

Musa breathed in the scent of decay and baked mud and allowed the buzz and chirps to become white noise in the back of her mind. Anything that overlay those sounds would trigger her defences and she'd be ready with a barrier to protect herself. It wasn't like this was the first time she'd traversed the swamp. She'd come here often enough for class trips and now that she was a fairy of some renown, she had no fear of wandering it on her own.

She passed by the Hollowman trees – with their vacant gaping faces – with barely a second look, swept through the long rushes that tried to entangle her feet and cast one magical orb to burn up the briars that barred her path until she reached the valley of the Luminaire plants. It was just as she remembered it. Glowing spores burst up into the air, caught within the net of crossing branches from the large and mostly naked trees. The flowers cast off a warm, almost fire-like glow that encompassed the clearing and chased away the shadows and other creatures.

She rubbed her hands over her face, feeling tired and lost. How had it all come to this? Hadn't they gone through enough to warrant some semblance of happiness? Hadn't she fought for it time and time again? When did the rewards come?

Never, it seemed. Life was one endless battle.

Removing the band that tied her hair back, she felt the gathering headache begin to ease. Shaking her hair out, she let it fall down her back before she began to braid it. In the swamp, loose hair was just asking for trouble.

Once that was done, Musa found a flat rock to sit upon, pulling her knees to her chest. She rested her cheek on them and stared into the glowing core of the closest Luminaire. How long could she stay here? How long before someone came to look for her, to draw her back into the perfection of their little world. Maybe they'd be too blissful to notice she was gone.

_That would be nice. _

She felt the presence a second before the figure stepped out of the shadows. She was up and off the rock, hands out before she released them with a sigh. "I could have fried you."

Riven snorted and sheathed his sword. "I doubt it. How're you?"

How was she? Was he for real? Scowling, she stormed over to him and punched him in the arm. Hard. "You asshole. You left me alone with them."

"Hey!" he grumbled, and held his hands up to defend himself. "I told you I was going."

"Not today. I thought you meant next week or… I don't know, sometime when I could have left with you. Riven, we're supposed to be a team."

He softened and reached out to tug her plait. "We are one. We're more, we're partners, which is why I trust you with this part of the plan. You stay, you gather all the information you can and you get it to me."

"And you'll what? Do research?" She quirked her lips, but stepped into his space, looking up into his handsome face. Gorgeous, beautiful man. "You hate research."

He stroked a finger down her cheek, violet eyes warm. "I don't mind research. I happen to be good at it."

She sighed. "But what if you don't find anything? What do we do then?"

Riven reached up to squeeze the back of his neck, his tell when he didn't know something. She knew they were going out on a limb, completely winging it. And she knew Riven hated to not have a definite plan, not when it came to the important stuff.

"I need to see how far the corruption spreads. We know it's there in Alfea, we have a theory of where it originates, but I need to see where else it is and how bad it is."

Right, she knew that. That's why they'd planned for Riven to leave, to build up his resentment with Sky so that Riven would have valid reason to leave the group. She just hadn't quite expected it to happen so suddenly. Though it wasn't sudden, not really. "Dragon!"

He chucked her chin gently. "We can do this Muse, we've weathered any storm put before us before. Why should this be any different?"

"I just hate lying to people and telling everyone we broke up because we couldn't reconcile our differences…" She scowled. She hated that part the most. What utter bullshit. "And they believed it so easily."

"We're good actors and since we never acted like the others, obviously they saw our relationship as flawed."

"Bloom and Sky are way more flawed as a couple. Those other two haven't even tested their relationship." She never understood "perfect" relationships. That kind of thing spoke of bottling up emotions and that always led to an explosion where things were often said that couldn't be taken back.

Riven tugged her to him and closed his arms around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Use this to get some distance from them, that could help," he murmured. "And it means you won't be lying to them too much."

Musa pressed her face into his warm chest, - glad he wasn't wearing his armour but a navy t-shirt - breathing in his scent, feeling his heartbeat against her cheek. Home. "I'll miss you. Nothing will be the same there. I like the other boys but I hang out with them because you're there."

"I know. Come on Muse, we have to do this. It's important to save our friends, and Magix, if it's as bad as I think."

She leaned back to look at him in the golden wash of light from the luminaire plants. The strong cut of his jaw; thin, surprisingly soft lips; the nose that stayed so straight despite the number of fights he'd been in; the sharp cheek bones, firm brow and burgundy hair; all the little features that came together seamlessly to make up the man she loved. She linked her fingers behind his neck, stroking over the smooth, hot skin.

"I suppose you need to go soon?"

He rested his brow against hers and sighed. "Yeah, but I'll be back, just not when anyone else can see."

She smiled faintly. "Like you said, I'll be spending some time alone, wallowing in my sadness."

But she didn't want him to go. Hated the fact that she had to sacrifice her relationship, her time with her boyfriend, to save Magix. Someday, someday soon, Magix would just have to save itself. There were new upcoming fairy heroes out there. It would be time for them to step into the spotlight, to hold their own and prove that they were every bit as good, better maybe, than the Winx. She knew that day of reckoning was coming. Things were rising to a crescendo and soon the song would have to end.

"Remember, you still have your Wish. If all goes wrong, that's our last chance."

She sucked in a breath and nodded. Right. They did have her wish. Even now it was secreted away with her father, the safest place she could think for it. She'd fetch it before the climax, but if she couldn't, should anything happen to both her and Riven, she had instructed someone else to get it for her, someone she could trust.

She shivered as his rough fingers slipped under her top to glide over the bared skin along the base of her spine. His free hand came up to cup her jaw, thumb gliding over her cheek in the easy affection she'd come to expect from him when they were alone. Her friends, bar Tecna, had never understood why she and Riven weren't overly affectionate around them. They took that to mean she and Riven were 'fighting again'. They just didn't understand that some people valued privacy. She didn't doubt Riven's love for her anymore; he'd shown it so many ways over the years.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"What for?"

"For everything." She fiddled with the collar of his t-shirt, fixing and smoothing it. "For being there for me - for realising that there was something wrong with me when I didn't, when no one else did."

He smiled, closing the small distance between them to kiss her. Musa sighed, opening her lips to meet his. She trembled, feeling the surge of heat ricochet through her as she pressed up against him. When would she be able to do this again? To taste him and feel him surrounding her, blending with her magic, seeping into her blood. His hands slid lower and she rose on her tiptoes, curling her fingers into his hair. His mouth clung to hers, tongues stroked, breathing became uneven as they tried desperately to get closer.

This is goodbye, she thought. Or perhaps see you later was more appropriate but the fact was, where Riven went, she couldn't follow. She'd go back to Alfea, pretend everything was terrible because her boyfriend couldn't accept her and listen to everyone give her mundane advice while blissfully ignorant. She nipped his lower lip, laughed when he muttered a curse and drew him back for another kiss.

"Muse," he murmured, breathing fast. "I have to go."

Musa swallowed hard and nodded. "I know."

She dropped her hands and stepped away, lips bruised and cheeks flushed. "Okay, we can do this. You'll go wherever you go and you'll find out what we need to do to defeat the corruption and then you'll return to me."

"Always." He stroked a finger down her nose and studied her face intently, as if trying to memorise it. "We're doing this to save everyone."

She nodded and then rose up to kiss his cheek. "Be careful, Riven."

"You too, Musa." He unsheathed his sword and strode to the edge of the clearing, pausing to look back at her with a wicked glint in his eyes. "By the way, nice clothes. I always did prefer you in jeans."

She glanced down, momentarily forgetting she was in a pair of blue jeans and a red tank top. She laughed, smiling brightly at him, watching him leave. Her smile died and she shook her head. "I should have known something was wrong when I kept letting Stella put me in those awful dresses. Actually, I should have known something was wrong when Stella kept designing such awful clothes."

With another shake of her head, Musa left the swamp. She stepped over the broken logs, skipped past the brambles and ducked low hanging branches, feeling lighter despite the fact she'd just said goodbye to Riven. It wasn't really goodbye. More like farewell, and she'd see him soon. They were in this together after all.

She'd just stepped onto the road to Alfea when Tecna dropped from the sky to land beside her.

"So we're doing this?" Tecna asked, destransforming and folding her arms and nodding towards the school.

Musa sighed, slipping her thumbs into the loops of her jeans as they walked along the street to the gate. At least she had Tecna and Timmy on her side, Riven having told both of them about his theory. "We have no choice. Something is wrong with us and everything started going crazy when Daphne reappeared. We're fighting over stupid things; we're not even battling like warriors anymore. Things that we should remember, we don't. Mythix, Bloomix? We're not even who we used to be anymore. We've become corrupted."

They paused at the entrance and looked across the courtyard as Thoren and Daphne danced, Bloom looked on with a tight smile while Sky rubbed her shoulders. Brandon scowled into his drink as Stella threw magic around her, earning a grimace from Aisha as Nex stood awkwardly beside her. Flora and Helia cuddled close together talking quietly with Timmy. Yeah, they weren't right at all.

Exchanging a wary look, Tecna and Musa began to approach them, knowing that what they planned to do could not only destroy all of Magix — if the corruption had spread that far — but also the very bonds of friendship forged on that autumn day six years ago.

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_Finis_

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**A.N. **Like I said, I haven't seen anything of season six past episode six or seven, and honestly I don't want to see it. What I've seen of screen shots, Tumblr, or heard from the folks in WWA, it sounds like it's gone down the crap hole. But I had to do something to fix Musa and Riven because the writers don't know what to do with them.

Please review. It only takes a couple of minutes.


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